A selection of 141 of Pablo Picasso’s sculptures, created between 1902-1964, was only on view at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) through last night at midnight. I was determined not to miss this exhibit and actually remained in the museum, taking in this magnificent art show, until past eleven in the evening. Actually it was also the night of Super Bowl 50, and I assumed the crowds would be thin. I was wrong, with lines winding, but the spaciousness of the galleries was generous. I was so glad not to miss this unique opportunity, being much more familiar with the artist’s paintings than his sculptures, which ranged from taller than life to miniatures in a glass display case. The individual or combined materials he used were clay, lumber, sheet metal, plaster, cardboard, bronze, paint, wire, sand, with the addition of cake molds, pebbles, absinthe spoons, and spigots. The MOMA exhibit notes indicate that Picasso did not sell or give away most of his sculptures, but after he died they were included in the collection of the Musée national Picasso-Paris. Additional lenders to this exhibit were anonymous and known, private collections and international museums that house Picasso’s works, such as the Centre national d’art et de culture Georges Pompidou.

I was fascinated, among the miniature and tabletop sculptures in the collection (brought together just for this project) of six 1914 “Glass of Absinthe” works, which are painted bronze and sit slightly distorted, as if the artist was imbibing while sculpting. The spoon atop the glass seems rusted through with multiple turns in the infamous anise-flavored spirit. I photographed my favorite works, many of them Picasso’s “in the moment” impression of one his mistresses or muses. “Kneeling Woman Combing Her Hair” (1906) and two sculptures titled “Seated Woman” (1929), all bronze, were remarkably different, with the earlier piece more impressionistic and the latter two pieces more abstract. “Bust of a Woman” (1931), “Head of a Woman” (1931-32), and “Head of a Woman” (1941), are all built from plaster. The two earlier works, one from the breast upwards, the other from an elongated neck upwards, have deliberate, surrealist distortions. They were modeled after Picasso’s youthful companion at his château in Boisgeloup, Marie-Thérèse Walter. The 1941 work, of another of Picasso’s longtime lovers, Dora Maar, a photographer and muse, is pleasant and lifelike in appearance.

From 1945-1953, Picasso created ceramics and assemblages, most fabricated in Vallauris, a seaside town in Southern France, where he stayed from 1948 to 1955. These mostly small works required attentive gazing, as they were displayed in glass cabinets. I was particularly fascinated by “Flowery Watering Can” (1951-52), made with an actual watering can, plaster, metal, nails, and wood. Among the tiniest works (1947-1950), I focused on the “Owl” vase and “Bottle: Kneeling Woman”. And then there was a massive room with a collection of 1952-58 Vallauris and Cannes works, may larger than life. My two favorites of the bronze works were the ingénue “Woman with a Baby Carriage” and “Little Girl Jumping Rope”, both created in (1950-54). The first exuded inherent pride, and the second exuded vibrant joy. My favorites of the tall, wooden sculptures were six, placed together in sand, as “The Bathers” collection.

The final gallery, of Picasso’s 1954-64 sheet metal sculptures, included “Woman with Hat” (1961), “Maquette for Richard J. Daley Center Sculpture” (1964), and “Sylvette” (1954). The maquette, of simulated and oxidized welded steel, on loan from the Art Institute of Chicago, was in preparation for a massive commission in Daley Plaza, Chicago. Throughout the eleven galleries, I was struck by the persistent elements of Surrealism and Cubism, worth a study on its own. Picasso had many muses, including lovers, wives, ravaging wars, and seaside residencies in his diverse set of life experiences. Kudos to the Museum of Modern Art in New York for organizing and presenting this rare exhibit.